Ellen Clayton

Ellen Wright Clayton, M.D., J.D., serves as Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University School of Law, Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics, and Professor of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is also the Rosalind E. Franklin Professor of Genetics and Health Policy and co-founder of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society. A graduate of Duke University, she earned an M.S. from Stanford University in 1976, a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979, and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1985, followed by a pediatric residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. Internationally respected in law and genetics, Professor Clayton's scholarship centers on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics research and its translation to clinical care. As co-Principal Investigator, she leads a transdisciplinary Center for Excellence in ELSI Research on genomic privacy and identity in community settings, a project defining the legal framework for genomics including liability, quality, privacy, access, and the clinical-research interface, and participates in the eMERGE consortium assessing genomic result returns. She currently addresses ethical issues in artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare.

Professor Clayton has authored two books and more than 175 scholarly articles and chapters in medical, interdisciplinary, and law journals exploring intersections of law, medicine, public health, and genetics. Key publications include 'Managing Incidental Findings in Human Subjects Research: Analysis and Recommendations' (2008, Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics) and 'Return of Genomic Results to Research Participants: The Floor, the Ceiling, and the Choices in Between' (2014, American Journal of Human Genetics). Her influence spans policy development; she has advised the National Institutes of Health and international bodies on children's health, women's health, and human subjects research ethics, contributing to statements for the American Society of Human Genetics, American Academy of Pediatrics, and others. Leadership includes Co-Chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Report Review Committee, past Chair of the National Academy of Medicine Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, and membership on its Advisory Council. Honors encompass election to the National Academy of Medicine, Fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the David P. Rall Medal (National Academy of Medicine, 2013), and the William G. Bartholeme Award (American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Bioethics, 2010).

Professional Email: ellen.clayton@vanderbilt.edu